Nightshade's Tales
by The Cat Loving Kid
Summary: Meet Nightshade, a guardian demon sworn to protect Jack Skellington and his family. Join her as she lives her life alongside the Skellingtons, and hear tales of their adventures. But when an evil force rises yet again, can she aid the family she loves and help lead them to victory? (My first story! Yay! :D)
1. Meet Nightshade

**DISCLAIMER: I did not create The Nightmare Before Christmas, (thank Tim Burton for that) I just created Nightshade.**

Hello. My name is Nightshade. I am a guardian demon and the sole servant to Jack Skellington and his family. My origins are quite clouded, but this is my story.

One day, I woke up in front of the scarecrow that points to Halloween Town, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. No memories, but a strange, complete knowledge of humans.

I wandered for a while, until I stumbled upon a graveyard. Moments later, I tripped over a gravestone. I looked back to see what tripped me, and saw 'Deadly Nightshade' etched onto the tombstone. "Nightshade…" I then decided that that would be my name.

I walked out of the graveyard, and reached the pumpkin patch. I realised I was hungry, so I cracked open one of the smaller pumpkins. A ghost wailed as it flew from the pumpkin, but strangely, I had no fear of it. I reached into the pumpkin and scooped out some pulp. After I ate, I saw a tall, dead tree and decided to climb it. Once I had reached a high, sturdy branch, I fell blissfully asleep.

I was awoken when I felt wet pumpkin pulp on my face. I wiped it off, and looked down to see three children hurling more at me. One resembled a devil, one resembled a witch and the third resembled a skeleton. Something inside of me told me their names were Lock, Shock and Barrel, and that they were bad news.

I quickly found myself literally seeing red. I leapt from my branch with ease, seemingly gliding to the ground. As I walked angrily towards them, my hands felt as if they were on fire.

The trio stared at me, and then ran off into the woods, screaming with fear. I was puzzled as to why I could be so terrifying.

I saw a large puddle of water nearby, and walked over to it. When I saw my reflection, I was quite shocked.

My eyes were fire-filled and glowing red and my hands were surrounded by bright flame. There were black, spike-lined wings protruding from my back, which were scaly and dragon-like from the underside, but covered in soft feathers on the back.

I stared at my reflection, and concluded I was some sort of demon. I watched as my eyes and hands extinguished and my wings retracted into my back.

I became curious if I had any other unusual powers. Sometime later, I had discovered all I was capable of.

Not only was I able to extend hidden wings, make my eyes glow with any colour of fire I choose and ignite any part of my body, I could also sharpen my teeth into fangs and extend my fingernails into deadly claws at will, and form up to nine clones of myself.

I sought to practice my newfound powers, and that did not take me very long. In the time of two hours, I had mastered every ability I had and knew everything I was capable of doing with them.

I congratulated myself on my achievements and decided to reward my own hard work. I pulled a pumpkin from the patch, ignoring the distraught spirit inside. I flew up to my branch in the tall, dead tree and cracked the pumpkin open.

After my meal, I saw some strange things in the pumpkin patch. For some reason, I flew from the tree to the unusual objects. When I saw them up close, I put them together in a strange way. I somehow knew it was called an electric guitar, and I found myself playing a strange tune. I liked it, and flew back to my tree, still strumming my new instrument.

Sometime later, I saw a strange, tall, thin skeleton in a black pinstripe suit walking through the graveyard. He didn't seem threatening, so I continued playing my electric guitar.

_As I walked, I heard a strange, but hauntingly beautiful melody. I thought to myself, "What __is_ _that strange sound?" I walked towards the pumpkin patch, following the sound._

I was so wrapped up in playing my electric guitar that I didn't notice the skeleton approach. "Hello?" Hearing his call startled me. I looked warily down at him from my perch. "There you are! A human? Who are you?"

I replied to his question. "I am Nightshade, and I am no human! Now, who are you?" "I'm Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. You have an amazing talent there, Nightshade. You simply must come back to town with me!"

I agreed warily, only since it just started to rain and I realised my tree didn't provide very good cover.

We walked together as the rain grew into a storm. Jack stopped for a moment, but I kept on walking. A lightning bolt struck a tree beside me, making it fall. Luckily, I noticed and quickly extended my wings and flew from under it.

Jack was impressed with my skill. "That was amazing! I thought you were just a human, but you're a… you're a…" He was at a loss for words, so I finished for him.

"I'm a demon of some sort, I think." "Alright, then. We better run before any more trees come down."

We started running through the forest to escape the storm. He was very fast, but so was I. We were almost halfway to Halloween Town. We stopped for a moment to catch our breath, but the lightning hit another tree beside me. I didn't see until it was too late.

But Jack leapt towards me. "Look out!" He pushed me out of the falling tree's way, saving my life. "You… you saved me! I am eternally grateful. I vow to serve you for the rest of my life!"

I decided to return the favour. "Grab my hand." I said. "What?" "Just grab my hand." Once he had a hold of my hand, I extended my wings. "Now, hang on tight!"

I took flight, carrying Jack with me. With his directions, we arrived in front of Halloween Town mere moments later.

I set Jack down, landed and retracted my wings. Jack was grateful for the quick, easy flight. "Why, thank you!" "Ah, it was nothing compared to you saving my life." We began walking into town. Although the storm had stopped, we had to watch our step so we wouldn't slip in any puddles.

A deep voice called from across the square. "Ah, there you are, Jack!" It was the mayor, pleased to see Jack unharmed. But when he saw me, his head twisted to reveal a pale, worried expression. "Jack, you brought a human here?!"

I was slightly offended at being called a human yet again, so I decided to prove to the Mayor and the now gathered townsfolk that I am not a mere, mortal human.

First, I extended my wings and lifted myself a metre off the ground. Then, I ignited my feet, extended my claws, sharpened my teeth and made my eyes glow in a bright golden tone.

There were gasps of awe as the onlooking monsters stared at my enhanced form. The Mayor was the first to say anything. "Wow! Jack, who is this fascinating creature?"

Jack turned to face me and I knew he was allowing me to answer for him.

"I am Nightshade, guardian demon and servant to Jack Skellington!"

The crowd cheered wildly. I was happy that the people (well, monsters) of Halloween Town liked me. Jack was also pleased.

"Well, now that you've met Nightshade, I better take her back to my tower to help her settle in." The Mayor, however, wasn't pleased that Jack was leaving so soon.

"But Jack-" "I'll be at the office in the morning!" Jack called as we began walking towards Jack's home.

When we arrived, Jack opened the gate and led me to the front door.

We stepped inside, and Jack called, "Sally, I'm home!"

We went upstairs to the kitchen. When we entered, I saw a beautiful woman.

She had light blue skin, with thick stitches riddling her body. Her hair was a deep red and she wore a short patchwork dress.

Jack gestured to her. "This is my wife, Sally." I greeted her with a bow. "I am honoured to meet you."

She smiled and giggled quietly. "Why, thank you! Jack, who is this?"

I introduced myself with pleasure. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nightshade, guardian demon!" Your husband and I met today, and I swore to serve him and his family when he saved my life in the forest."

Sally was delighted when she heard her husband had saved an innocent life. She gazed at him fondly, and he lovingly returned it.

"Is there anything I can do to help? I can cook, clean, anything you wish!" Sally thought for a moment about my request. "Well, you can help me with cooking dinner, if you like."

"I would love to!" I replied eagerly.

And from that day on, I stayed with the Skellingtons, sworn to aid and protect them. If someone ever tried to harm Jack Skellington or any family member of his, they would have to survive my furious wrath first.


	2. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Nightmare Before Christmas or any of its characters; just Nightshade and Jack and Sally's descendants.**

**Author's note: This part will make more sense later in the story.**

I have walked out of the woods towards town, hoping I won't be recognized. Luckily I look like a human - nobody recognizes me.

Ever since Oogie Boogie came back somehow, the entire Skellington family has been in hiding; we are not strong enough to face him yet.

I have to come into town to get food. But, I have another mission as well.

My second mission is to find the third generation of Skellingtons, train them and bring them back to their parents and grandparents.

The reason why is because together, we are powerful enough to overthrow Oogie and defeat him for hopefully the last time.

When Oogie took over the town, Jack, Sally and their children were in a hurry to escape town. Jack and Sally's grandchildren were still in the human world, scaring humans for their first time.

We couldn't come back to get them until the coast was clear. That was five years ago.

I've walked to Jack's tower. With hope, I might find the children.

Amazingly, as I walk past the tower, I see three young skeletons and two young ragdolls sitting in front of the tower gate. They look rather glum.

I quickly walk over to them. "Hello there!" They look up at me, still retaining their miserable expressions. "Hi."

I don't want to go into full detail yet, just in case they aren't the children I am looking for.

I sit down in front of them and decide to ask questions about them. "So, who are you guys?"

The skeleton boy answers first. "I'm Jason. These are my sisters Theresa and Amelia. Those are my cousins, Ebony and Ivory."

"Cool! How old are you?" This time, the raven-haired ragdoll replies.

"Ivory and I are both 14, Jason is 17, Theresa is 16 and Amelia is 15."

"Alright. Hey, why do guys look so down?" The group look at one another, and then Theresa turns to me.

"Well, five years ago on Halloween, we were going to the human world for the first time. We were so excited." She smiles slightly at the memory.

"We had a brilliant night, scaring humans everywhere. Then, it was nearly dawn, so we had to come home. But when we got here, we couldn't find our parents." The ragdoll twins started to sniffle.

"Ever since, we've just hung around here, waiting for them to come back. Now we can't even remember their names, or what they look like! We just want to be with our family again!"

Ebony and Ivory have started crying at this point. I feel sorry for them. They shouldn't have gone through that painful separation.

I now know that these are the Skellington children I've been looking for. But I can't just whisk them away; they don't know me and won't trust me.

But I decide to earn their trust.

"Do you remember anyone in your family at all?" Amelia replies with a tearful "No!"

"Well, I think I can help you. I know your grandparents."

"You do?!" From the way Ebony and Ivory speak in unison, it is easy to see they are twins.

But Jason seems hesitant. "How do we know we can trust you? We don't even know who you are!"

I take this opportunity to introduce myself. "My name is Nightshade. I'm a guardian demon. I work for your family."

The twins are clearly excitable. "Really?!" they ask eagerly.

However, Jason still isn't convinced. "Prove it, then!"

My replies are calm; I expected they wouldn't trust me immediately. "I remember holding you all when you were babies. And your parents, too."

The twins can barely contain their excitement. "Cool! Do you know where they are now? You have to take us to them!"

Jason is still unsure, though. "How do we know you're not lying?"

"How about I tell you some stories about them?"


	3. The Early Days

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas; just Nightshade and the Skellington grandchildren.**

_"Well, what stories were you going to tell us?" Jason still seems unconvinced._

_"Today, I might tell you some stories from when I was just starting out serving the Skellingtons. So, sit back and enjoy the story!"_

It was the day after I moved in with your grandparents, Jack and Sally Skellington.

The move was quite easy, since I had no belongings apart from my electric guitar.

I wanted to thank the couple for letting me stay with them, so I decided to whip up some breakfast.

I had never cooked anything before, so naturally, I was nervous.

I wanted to make pumpkin pancakes, but I didn't know how to make them.

I looked in the pantry and found myself pulling out some different ingredients.

I turned the stove hotplate on, went and got a bowl, put some of the ingredients into it and began mixing.

When something told me the mix was ready, I fetched a pan and poured some of the mix into it.

After that, I don't really know what happened; it seemed that my all-knowing, never-failing instincts had taken over. But soon after, I had two plates of fresh pumpkin pancakes.

Then, I decided to brew some slime coffee, since you can't have a good meal without a good beverage, can you?

My instincts controlled me once again. I was grateful for it because I definitely don't know how slime coffee made.

After that, I had a simple, but hopefully good meal prepared for Jack and Sally.

I went upstairs to their bedroom and knocked politely on their door. I called, "Good morning, Jack, Sally. May I come in?"

After a few seconds, I heard Jack answer me, if not muffled slightly. "Yes, you can come in, Nightshade."

I opened the door and walked in with their ready-made breakfast. "I made breakfast!"

The couple were delighted with the idea of breakfast in bed. Sally was the first to say anything. "Oh, Nightshade, you made this for us?"

"I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here, so I thought you might like this."

After they ate, I just had to ask them something. "So, was it good?" I asked with a mixture of nervousness and hopefulness.

"It was delicious! Thank you so much!"

I was thrilled that they enjoyed it so much. It seems I also have a talent for cooking. And they liked it so much, they let me make breakfast every day after that!

_The twins look like they enjoyed the story, but Jason seems unimpressed. "Did you just tell us a story about you making breakfast?" "Well, how about I tell you a different one?"_

A few weeks after moving in, we had run low on groceries, so Sally sent me to go shopping for some more.

"I'll be back soon with the groceries!" I called.

Around half an hour later, I was walking back to the tower, when I heard an ear-piercing scream. It was none other than Sally.

Almost instantly, I summoned a clone to stay with the groceries while I extended my wings and raced to the tower.

When I had landed and got inside, Sally was in the kitchen being threatened by a ghost with a knife. I guessed he had been a murderer in life.

_The twins seem a little scared, but I continue telling the tale._

With a threatening tone in my voice, I spoke to the ghost. "Drop the knife and move away from the ragdoll."

Seeing as the ghost didn't know I was a demon, he didn't take me seriously.

"Oooooooh! I'm sooooo scared! And what's a human like youuuuuu going to dooooooo about it?"

I had warned him, so I wasn't going to hold back this time.

"I am Nightshade and I am no human! Now, I said drop the knife and step away from the ragdoll!"

Still, he wasn't afraid. "Make me, youuuuuu fooooool!"

I began my transformation. I extended my wings, sharpened my teeth, extended my claws, ignited my feet and made my eyes glow angry red.

I yelled to Sally, "Run! Go find Jack!"

Then, I tackled the ghost, which is surprising since he is a ghost after all. He dropped the knife and we began wrestling on the floor. He was strong for a spectre. He tried to punch me a few times, but I dodged them. I kicked him, making him scream in pain, partially because my feet were on fire.

A short, fight-filled time later, Sally came back with Jack. When they came into the kitchen, I had the ghost in a choking headlock. He wriggled free, but then I started bending his leg backwards. He screamed in agony. "Stop, please! I give up, youuuu win!"

Jack called the Mayor, who, with the help of some monsters, took the ghost back to the graveyard and chained him to his grave.

Back at the tower, Jack was worried about Sally. "Are you okay, my love?"

"I'm fine, thanks to Nightshade. She saved my life!"

_"And that, kids, is how I saved your grandmother from a spiritual killer." The twins are very excited. "That was awesome!" Even Jason looks like he liked it. "That was pretty cool, I guess." "Please tell us more!" The twins cry eagerly. "I'm sorry, but your folks are probably expecting me by now. I promise I'll come back tomorrow with more stories!" _


	4. Jack's Accident

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Nightmare before Christmas, just Nightshade and the kids.**

**A/N: This chapter is based loosely on a dream I had not too long ago. **

_I am back at the tower, ready to meet the kids and tell them more stories of me and their family. _

_Thankfully, they are still here._

_The twins see me first. "Nightshade!" Their cousins looked in my direction after hearing the cry, and their expressions brighten. _

_"Hello, all. Ready to hear another story?" I sit myself down and make myself comfortable. _

_"What story will you tell us today, Nightshade?"_

_"Well, today, I might tell you about your grandfather's accident."_

It was about two months after I first moved in.

Sally was going to clean the tower, so I went to help Jack in the Mayor's office. Obviously, we would be working on Halloween, coming up later in the year.

We started off with some simple progress checking. That involved going around town and checking on several monsters doing different jobs.

During this part of the day, I acted as your grandfather's bodyguard and an extra hand/opinion.

As we went around, we were asked multiple things, from 'Which is better: a screech or a roar?' to 'What's the best way to sneak up on a human?'

Around midday, the Mayor called Jack into his office to work on some plans. We went up to the highest floor so Jack could do some research.

Seeing as it was lunchtime, I left the room to fetch something for Jack.

But when I left, that's when the disaster began to happen.

You see, after I left, Jack began to flick through a large, old, dusty book. But, something made him slip. The book flew from his grasp and smashed through a large window. But it didn't stop there. Jack had totally lost his balance, causing him to fall from the now broken window towards the stone pavement below.

_The twins gasp and hold each other in a mixture of fear and excitement._

I had just entered the room when Jack began to fall. I dropped everything and extended my wings in a heartbeat. Then before you could say, 'Wait!' I flew out of the window after him.

_The twins gasp again, louder this time, and hold each other even tighter than before._

I flew down as fast as I could. I managed to use my wings to send a gust of wind towards Jack, somehow softening the landing.

However, Jack wasn't uninjured.

Luckily I was there, or else he would have been killed. I quickly formed a clone and sent her to get help. Moments later, Jack was being carefully whisked off to Dr Finklestein's laboratory.

At the Doctor's lab, Dr Finklestein set about analysing Jack and checking for injuries. After what seemed like ages, he came out and broke the news to Sally and me.

"Jack is quite alright, but he has fractured his right leg."

It was devastating news. Being a skeleton, it would be VERY difficult to recover from such an injury. It could have been worse; his leg could have been broken, which would definitely be a problem. But still, a fracture was quite bad.

Sally and I entered the room where Jack was still unconscious from the fall. He woke up minutes after we had sat down.

"Sally? Nightshade? What are you two doing here? What am I doing here?"

Sally answered calmly, but I could still tell she was deeply worried. "You fell from the top floor at the office, dear, and fractured your right leg. You would have died, had Nightshade not saved you."

I was proud of saving my master, and replied modestly, "I was just returning the favour."

Jack beamed, but then appeared very worried. "But how am I going to prepare for Halloween?!"

Just at that moment, as if on cue, Dr Finklestein swept into the room, carrying a pair of wooden crutches. "I had a feeling you would want to move around, so I whipped these up for you."

"Why, thank you, Doctor!" Jack was pleased, knowing that he wouldn't suffer immobility during his period of healing.

He tried to get out of his bed, but Sally and I helped him back into it. Dr Finklestein explained why. "Your fractured bone needs a bit of healing time before you can start using the crutches."

Jack groaned to himself with frustration. He didn't want to waste time by waiting for his bone to heal. What would the Mayor say?

He thought, "This is going to be a long, slow process."

_ "But don't worry, kids. His bone healed up very quickly. Just in time for Halloween, in fact!" From the captivated faces around me, I can tell that they enjoyed the story. The twins squealed with delight. "That was awesome!" Jason is definitely excited, too. "Well, I have to go now. But don't be sad. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh story to tell you!" _

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the positive feedback on the last few chapters! My school holidays are nearly over though, so I won't be able to update as often. But, more chapters on the way, though! Please review! If you have any questions, I will happily answer them! :)**


	5. Halloween and a Human

**DISCLAIMER: The Nightmare Before Christmas is not mine, but Nightshade, the kids and the humans are.**

**A/N: This is a very long chapter. You've been warned.**

_I am walking back to the tower. I am hoping the kids are still there. Luckily for me, they are._

_Amelia sees me. "Nightshade!" she shouts joyfully._

_As I sit down, the twins greet me cheerfully. "Hi, Nightshade!"_

_I smile at them. "Hello, everyone. Ready for another story?"_

_"Yes!" they call together. "What story will you tell us today, Nightshade?" __asks Theresa._

_"Today, I'll tell you about my first Halloween, when a human came to Halloween Town."_

I woke up on Halloween morning to the sound of excited chattering from outside my window.

I hurried to the kitchen and found Jack and Sally already there.

After breakfast, Sally went to her sewing room while Jack and I went into town to make some last minute checks, as Halloween was tonight.

Later that evening, there was some time before the Halloween parade started. Jack came over to me to ask me something.

"Nightshade, would you like to come to the human world with me to scare some humans?"

"Jack, I would love to!"

When we arrived in the human world, we went to the edge of a forest beside a busy suburban street.

Jack filled me in. "In this area, the best place to scare humans is here. People always wander into this part of the forest."

I hid up in a tree while Jack hid behind one not too far away. Sure enough, we didn't have to wait long for a human to come past.

A little girl of about 6 years walked towards my tree. In the dark, I swung upside down from a branch and made my eyes glow a pretty shade of light blue to draw the girl in.

She walked over to me, and when she was close enough, I began my routine.

"Hello there." I said with a slight eerie tone.

She had no idea where my voice had come from. Then, as the moon slipped out from behind the clouds, my chance presented itself.

As she saw my silhouette, I extended my wings and changed my eye-fire to red. I then dropped to the floor and with a flip, landed on my feet.

My trick had worked. She screamed with terror. She ran off, shrieking, "ANDY, HELP!"

I was pleased with my work. Jack snuck over to me. "Congratulations on scaring your first human, Nightshade! That was very impressive."

Moments later, three teenage boys came into the forest.

The tallest one spoke first. "So, this is where Molly saw that thing, dudes."

"Well, I don't see anything, Andy. Maybe your little sis imagined it."

The third one chuckled. "Yeah, Andy! Derek has a point. That kid's crazy!"

"Derek, Gene, c'mon. Mom said I have to keep an eye on her. If Molly tells Mom about that thing, I'm dead meat. I'll be grounded for a month!"

Jack and I both hatched a plot. With my wings extended, teeth sharpened and my eyes burning green, I stepped out from behind a tree.

The shortest one yelped, and then they all stepped back. I said only two words to the spooked teens.

"Behind you."

As they slowly turned around, Jack stepped out from behind another tree. As they stared at him in astonishment, he pulled a frightening face and cackled, "BOOOO!"

The now terrified teenagers ran off screaming. Jack and I chuckled to each other.

Then Jack pulled out his pocket watch and said, "We've got to hurry back to Halloween Town, Nightshade; it's almost time for the parade!"

We raced back to the holiday doors and leapt through the Halloween door. We arrived just in time for Jack to get himself ready for the parade.

It was a screaming success. Afterwards, monsters were cheering everywhere. Jack thanked everyone for their hard work as the Mayor began the awards ceremony.

After the ceremony, as Jack and Sally walked back to the tower together, I decided to go to my tree by the pumpkin patch.

I sat in my tree on my favourite branch, strumming my electric guitar.

But while I wasn't looking, somebody stepped out from the forest.

I heard panting and a very bewildered "Where am I?" I turned around and saw a human girl, who looked about 14.

I called curiously, "Hello? Who's there?"

She looked up and saw me. "Who are you?" She had relaxed a bit, seeing another human.

I extended my wings and flew down to greet her. She looked alarmed when she saw my wings. She backed up with fear, saying, "S-stay away from me, you… you freak!"

I approached her slowly, trying not to frighten her. I may be a guardian demon, but I know how easily humans get scared. It's alright; I'm not going to hurt you."

"Who… who are you?"

"How about we sit down and get to know each other?"

She and I sat down, and I began to introduce myself. "I'm Nightshade. I'm a guardian demon. You're in Halloween Town, a holiday world dedicated to Halloween."

"Okay… I'm Miranda. I'm 14. I live on 12 Norwood Street. I live with my parents, my 18-year-old brother, Andy and my 6-year-old sister, Molly."

"Hmm," I think about what she said for a moment. "You better come with me, Miranda."

"Where are you going to take me?!"

"I'm going to take you to Jack Skellington. He's the Pumpkin King, ruler of Halloween Town. He's also my master. He seems frightening, but he's really a nice guy. You'll have to climb on my back, though. The monsters here would freak out if they saw you."

She climbed onto my back and we rocketed into the sky. From her squeals, I couldn't tell whether she was scared or excited.

We landed in front of Jack's tower. I went inside, with her following close behind.

"Jack? Sally? I have someone for you to meet…"

Jack and Sally were in the parlour. They were happy to see me, but they looked on, astonished, when they saw Miranda.

Jack said, "A human?! Here?!"

I quickly replied, "Allow me to explain. This is Miranda. She stumbled into Halloween Town by accident."

The couple thought about this for a moment, then Sally said, "Well, we can't get you back home until tomorrow. You'll have to stay the night."

I led Miranda upstairs. "You can have a guest bedroom, or you can share my room, if you like."

"I think I'd rather stay with you, Nightshade."

A little while later, I had prepared a makeshift bed on the floor using my spare bedding. After that, we both climbed into them.

I couldn't sleep, and neither could Miranda. So I tried to make quiet conversation.

"So, Miranda, how did you find the holiday doors?"

"Well, I was on candy duty with Mom, when Molly can in, saying she'd seen a scary monster with wings and blue, fiery eyes. So my brother, Andy and his friends Derek and Gene went to check it out. They came back screaming, too. They said they saw the exact same thing, only with green, fiery eyes, and they also said they saw a living skeleton, too. So I went to check it out, but I went too far into the forest, found the holiday doors and fell into the Halloween door."

"That's a very interesting story, Miranda. I sort of have something to say, though…"

"What's that?"

"That creature Molly, Andy, Derek and Gene saw," I started nervously. "What about it?"

"That was me. And the skeleton was Jack."

Miranda stifled back laughter. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Um, no." I showed her my eye-fire, both blue and green. "You've already seen my wings."

She was rather shocked. After an awkward silence, we both rolled over and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke Miranda up. "Come to the kitchen with me."

When we arrived, Jack and Sally were already there, eating breakfast. "Good morning, Nightshade. Good morning, Miranda!" Sally chirped politely.

When Miranda asked what Jack and Sally were eating, I said, "Those are fried bat wings." Miranda cringed, so I said reassuringly, "Don't worry; I whipped something else up for you. What people eat here is very different to what humans eat. I thought you would like some pumpkin pie."

I sat her down at the table and brought her plate over.

After breakfast, Jack, Miranda and I set off for the holiday doors. There was a secret route there, leading to the human world.

We arrived back at the forest beside her street. "Thank you for your hospitality!" Miranda said. I replied, "It was no trouble. Say, tell Molly, Andy and his friends that last night, they were hallucinating, and all they really saw was a bat."

Miranda smiled. "Ok." She had made some new, albeit strange friends.

We said our goodbyes, then Jack and I headed back to the holiday doors, and arrived back safely in Halloween Town.

_"And that was the Halloween when a human stayed with your grandparents and me." The kids look very excited. "That was so cool!" exclaims Ebony. "I can't believe a human came here!" added Ivory. "Well, it's time for me to go, kids. But I'll be back tomorrow with another story to tell!"_

**A/N: Sorry I deleted the previous chapter, readers. I promise I'll re-upload Nightshade's First Christmas right after this one. Thanks again for all your positive feedback.**


	6. Nightshade's First Christmas

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas, just Nightshade and the kids.**

**A/N: This chapter is also based on that dream I mentioned, just more than the other chapter.**

_Once again, I am walking towards Jack's old tower, ready to tell his grandchildren another story of my time with their family._

_As I approach the front of the tower, I see the children are already there. They all look excited to see me, even Jason._

_"Hello, kids! Ready for another story?" I already know the answer. The kids chorus, "Yes!"_

_"What story will you tell us today, Nightshade?" asks Amelia eagerly._

_"Today, I'm going to tell you about my first Christmas."_

It was a peaceful late December morning. Well, as peaceful as any morning in Halloween Town can be. It was nearly Christmas. I had been living with the Skellingtons for almost a year.

I woke up with a sudden start. There was a noise coming from the parlour downstairs. I went down the spiralling staircase as fast as I could.

When I arrived in the parlour, I found that it was just Jack, putting up a Christmas tree.

"Jack? What are you doing?" I was puzzled as to why he was preparing for Christmas; this is Halloween Town, after all.

"Oh, good morning, Nightshade! I didn't see you there. I'm just putting up this Christmas tree."

"But why? We celebrate Halloween here, not Christmas."

"Well, you see, I… err… I… um…" He tugged at his collar nervously.

Just at that moment, a familiar female voice floated down the staircase. "Jack? Is that you?"

As she came down, I greeted her cheerfully. "Good morning, Sally! Do you know why Jack is putting up this Christmas tree?"

"Oh! Well, last year, Jack tried to take over Christmas."

"What?!"

Jack glances awkwardly at the floor. "It's a long story…"

Sally smiles at me. "It's still his favourite holiday, second only to Halloween."

"Alright, then. Need any help?"

"Not at the moment, but I left the box of decorations in my study. Could you fetch them for me, Nightshade?" Jack asked.

Later that day, the tower interior had been fully decorated. On the tree alone, there was tinsel made from spiders' legs, bat-shaped baubles and pumpkin-shaped lights.

But Jack still seemed unsettled.

He groaned in frustration. "Something's still missing!"

Just then, I noticed the piano in the parlour. As Jack and Sally discussed their dilemma, I sat myself down on the piano stool and began to play a jolly tune.

Jack and Sally turned to face me. Jack's stressed face broke into a wide grin. "That's it! Christmas music!" Pleased that I had solved the problem, I formed a clone to continue playing, while I went upstairs with Jack and Sally.

The next day was Christmas Eve. While Jack was at work, Sally came to me as I cleaned up after breakfast. "Nightshade, would you be able to come with me today?"

"Of course, Sally, what do you need help with?"

"I need to find a Christmas present for Jack. But I don't know what to get or how to get through town without him seeing me."

"Don't worry, I can help!"

We snuck out of the house quietly. I extended my wings and got Sally to hang on to my back.

I took flight, soaring high up into the sky. So high, in fact, that nobody noticed us. Once out of sight, I landed.

Sally and I began to stroll through the town (avoiding Jack, of course) to search for a Christmas present. Around half an hour later, we decided on a brand new pinstripe suit and matching bat-shaped bow tie.

I took Sally back to the tower so she could wrap up Jack's present.

A little while later, Jack came back, looking slightly nervous. "Where's Sally?"

"She's upstairs in the bedroom. Why do you ask?"

"I need your help. I need to get her a Christmas present."

I agreed, and minutes later we were walking through town. A monster came up to us, wanting to ask Jack a question. I replied sternly, "Not now, Undersea Gal; the Pumpkin King is in a hurry."

Another half hour later, Jack had selected a present for Sally. He bought her a brand sewing machine.

He went back to the Mayor's office, so he could wrap them up without Sally seeing.

The next day, I woke up to snow falling outside of my window. I yawned and got out of bed, realising it was Christmas. I went downstairs to the parlour, waiting for Jack and Sally with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

When I went shopping with them, I secretly got them both presents. For Jack, a collection of great moments in Halloween history. For Sally, a small sewing kit and assorted bolts of fabric.

A smile spread across my face as the couple sleepily walked down the stairs. "Merry Christmas! Shall we begin opening the presents?"

Sally and Jack smiled. "Alright, Nightshade. Since you're so excited about it!" Sally chuckled.

I handed them each an object wrapped in brown paper, one with 'Sally' on the tag and the other with 'Jack'.

The couple were curious as to what was in their packages. They opened them, and a look of happiness swept over their faces.

Sally spoke first. "Oh, Nightshade! You bought these for us?"

I smiled with glee. "It's Christmas, is it not?"

They smiled more, then looked at each other as if they were up to something. I was puzzled as to what was going on.

Jack walked over to the tree and pulled a present from behind it. He came back over and placed it in my hands. My name was written on the tag.

"You got this for me? Aw, you shouldn't have!"

I tore off the bright wrapping paper, overwhelmed with excitement. It was an equipment kit for my electric guitar, complete with a specially-made guitar case and matching strap.

I was so excited I could have hugged them both.

"Now there's only one thing missing," I formed a clone and pointed to her, then the piano. "Clone, play!"

Jack smiled while Sally giggled. "Come on, you two. Let's go upstairs and have a very merry breakfast!"

_"That was my first Christmas with your grandparents, kids. And I must admit, probably the best." The twins giggle with delight. "That was so sweet!" I get up and prepare to leave. "Aw, leaving so soon?" says Theresa with a frown. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow with more stories!"_

**A/N: School goes back tomorrow, so I won't be able to update as much. :( I'll try to do it when I can, so bear with me and be patient! Thanks again for all your ongoing support. Also, a shout out to my favourite authors, misa1 and WonderUnderTheSkies! Please review and PM me if you have any questions! **


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